How do the 2008 Oregon election candidates stack up … environmentally, that is. Our Backyard will feature all the candidates between now and the May primary but first up, the candidates for Oregon Attorney General. 2 Democrats (and no Republicans, go figure ...) are seeking for the nomination in the upcoming primary: Greg MacPherson www.votemac.com/ and John Kroger www.johnkroger.com/. Each have received endorements from prominent environmental activists and organizations.

This edition: the candidates for President and some thoughts on endorsements and the traditional media. The two Democratic candidates for President, Senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama as well as the Republican candidate, Senator John McCain have all put forth some plan to address energy and climate change. Grist, the Seattle-based environmental online news-zine, interviewed each candidate and fact-checked their environmental platforms and records ( http://www.grist.org/candidate_chart_08.html ). The traditional media seems to be ignoring the environment as an issue important to most people (http://www.

KBOO's Edison Carder interviews John Stauber of the Center for Media and Democracy ( http://www.prwatch.org/cmd/bios.php/John_Stauber ) on Earth Day 2008. John shares his thoughts about greenwashing, the competion between environmental activist groups for your contributions and where the 2008 Presidential candidates stand on energy policy and the environment.

KBOO's locally produced series of reports and commentary about the environment in Our backyard: This edition: Murder on the Columbia. The Swiss have in their constitution a requirement that "account to be taken of the dignity of creation when handling animals, plants and other organisms". Writing in the current edition of The_Weekly_Standard , author and lawyer Wesley J.

Our Backyard: KBOO's locally produced environmental series. Our very own Congressman Earl Blumenauer and the President have ended up in the same bed over the 2008 Farm Bill, but perhaps not exactly for the same reasons.

KBOO's environmental series with Edison Carder. This edition: TriMet, Klamath River Dams, and Salmon. A victory for free speech and a solution for saving salmon that probably won't work. Friends of the River and the Karuk Tribe wanted to place ads in TriMet buses.

KBOO's locally produced environmental series. This edition: A proposal by the Bush administration will eliminate science as a factor in determining whether or not federal projects (dams, highway construction, mines, etc) might threaten protected species. Instead, federal agencies will make the determination without the benefit of wildlife scientist studies. Developers and others opposed to the Endangered Species Act are thrilled. Environmental activists are outraged.

Our Backyard: KBOO's locally produced environmental series with Edison Carder. This edition: WiMAX, the newest "kid of the block" in world of wireless internet. Clearwire ( http://www.clearwire.com/ a Kirkland, WA company) is betting that Portland will fall in love with this newer, faster, system and that you'll even want it to replace your home internet connection. The only issue may be that there are those who believe it may actually be a health hazard.